]]>After years of murdering every man and beast in his path, Liam Neeson is finally paying for his actions. Though don’t expect him to serve out his sentence. Neeson will star in the remake of Rupert Wyatt‘s 2008 prison drama, The Escapist.

The original film starred Brian Cox as a veteran prisoner plotting his escape. Though the film didn’t make waves at the box office, it managed to get Wyatt’s foot in the door and led to his directing Rise of the Planet of the Apes. While it does seem odd that a film from 2008 is already being remade, it’s a move that makes sense. This update will get the story in front of a larger audience, and Neeson is the perfect star to shepherd it having found success with remakes by remaking Taken twice.

A director has not been attached and it is unknown if the Neeson version will involve copious amounts of throat destruction. (Deadline)

]]>You probably remember the story of Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB agent who in 2006 was poisoned with the highly radioactive substance polonium-210. As he basically dissolved to death in a London hospital room, he publicly accused the then-President of RussiaVladimir Putin of poisoning him. The question of whether or not Putin was guilty was never answered definitively, but now Warner Brothers wants to turn it into a movie.

That movie is titled Londongrad, and the studio is reportedly interested in director Rupert Wyatt (who did Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Michael Fassbender to star. Fans of Fassbender know that he’s capable of doing a role like this after seeing his unforgettable performance as the hunger-striking Bobby Sands in Hunger. Both movies would be about people who died slowly and painfully for political reasons, albeit under very different circumstances. Sounds like a fun Saturday afternoon double feature to me! (Deadline)

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/wb-wants-michael-fassbender-to-die-of-radiation-poisoning/feed/0Review: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apeshttp://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/review-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/review-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/#commentsThu, 04 Aug 2011 23:26:34 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=223560Smarter than the Tim Burton 'Planet of the Apes', but even more one-dimensional.

]]>Rise of the Planet of the Apesis smarter than the Tim BurtonPlanet of the Apes, but even more one-dimensional. I mean, you can’t get any dumber than the Lincoln Memorial finale, but any insight to this story is sold out by embarrassing characterizations. It’s worth it for the ape rampage, but we’re making a devil’s bargain here. Thank you for the awesome ape action, and we’ll tolerate the script.

In this Apes, “Bright Eyes” is the nickname for Number 9, the test subject for ALZ-112. The Alzheimer’s cure has the side effect of adding green specks to her iris. Number 9 rampages, scientist Will Rodman’s (James Franco) experiment is shut down, but 9 had a baby so Will takes the baby home to his dad (John Lithgow) who has Alzheimer’s himself. Cesar (Andy Serkis) inherited Number 9’s super intelligence, so once he gets pissed, it’s rising time.

Baby Cesar is adorable but we’re still very obviously looking at motion capture. We’ve only traded one technology for another. Instead of endearing top of the line makeup, we have soulless polished CGI. I know you can’t train a stunt ape to rampage on cue, but let’s not pretend this is like looking at a real simian. You can tell by the nature of how it moves that it’s not primal. It’s great performance work, but the goal was “real ape,” not “ape-like animation.”

When the apes finally rise, it is a really awesome climax. I will probably own the Blu-ray just to watch that sequence and there are plenty of cool scenes they have not given away in the trailers. I’m glad a movie exists where apes swing down suburban streets and city streets. Getting there is pretty laughable though.

There’s no worse character than the angry neighbor who is so over the top one-dimensional, I can’t believe they put him in several scenes. Jacobs (David Oyelowo) so blatantly cares only about money, it’s incomprehensible that he’d ever rise to CEO of a research corporation. Tom Felton will have a healthy career as an evil blonde bully as his Dodge Landon character shows. Caroline is the defining role for Freida Pinto, as in get used to thankless hot love interests, because it’s not all Slumdog Millionaire and Miral.

The story makes one bold move. Will actually tries ALZ-112 out on his dad! I can’t believe a Hollywood movie makes that morally ambiguous choice. For a while, Rise is one of those movies where the science is actually more interesting than the monster. In The Fly, I really wanted to see teleportation technology work. In Darkman, I really wanted him to make fake skin last in sunlight. Of course, it’s really just an excuse to make the apes smarter. The way Cesar shares ALZ with his buddies is just silly.

Cesar is the hero of this and the blatant evil of the humans makes that clear, intentionally or not. That’s a different take on the material. In the Heston Apes, the point was a metaphor for how we treat animals, but the apes were equally culpable for making the same mistakes. Rise is a pure revenge tale on the evil captors, which may be where society is today. We’ve gone too far so screw it, let the apes have it. Still, cool ape rampage!

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/review-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/feed/0Rise of the Planet of the Apeshttp://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/films/rise-of-the-apes/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/films/rise-of-the-apes/#commentsSat, 30 Jul 2011 22:15:13 +0000Director: Rupert WyattCast: TBDSynopsis: A reality-based cautionary tale, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.Release Date: June 24, 2011

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/films/rise-of-the-apes/feed/0Caesar Is Unpopular With The Neighbors In Extended ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Cliphttp://www.screenjunkies.com/video/caesar-is-unpopular-with-the-neighbors-in-extended-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-clip/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/caesar-is-unpopular-with-the-neighbors-in-extended-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-clip/#commentsTue, 19 Jul 2011 13:01:49 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=video&p=220876I'd be ripsh*t too if I saw someone messing with John Lithgow.

Tyler Labine tried to warn us that Rise of the Planet of the Apes would make us cry, but we didn’t listen. And now it’s too late. Andy Serkis presents the emotional clip above of Caesar the chimp protecting his Alzheimer’s suffering friend played by John Lithgow. Can’t says I blame him. I’d be ripshit too if I saw someone messing with John Lithgow.

It goes without saying that the CG work is breathtaking. It must have cost a fortune. So much so that they couldn’t afford to comb Andy Serkis’s hair. But that’s beside the point, the movie looks like it will be heartbreaking. But also awesome. Did you see that chimp parkour off that jerk neighbor’s face?! Also, he spends his free time building a model of the Statue Of Liberty. Also cool!

Bravo, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I’m definitely seeing this when it opens August 5th, even if every plot point has probably already been shown in the trailers. (Yahoo)

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/caesar-is-unpopular-with-the-neighbors-in-extended-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-clip/feed/1caesarApes Scream At Your Face In ‘Rise’ Concept Arthttp://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/apes-scream-at-your-face-in-rise-concept-art/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/apes-scream-at-your-face-in-rise-concept-art/#commentsFri, 15 Apr 2011 02:19:56 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Gallery&p=207245The trailer has risen. Now the 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' concept art has risen too. I was gonna make a rise/dick joke, but these drawings will probably not give you an erection.

]]>There’s a space above the mantle. I’d love to fill it with a painting of an ape screaming at me on an escalator on my way to work.

The trailer has risen. Now the Rise of the Planet of the Apes concept art is rising too. I was gonna make a rise/dick joke, but it’d be kinda weird if any of these drawings gave you an erection. Fox has released a pack of wild concept arts for their upcoming film, directed by Rupert Wyatt, and starring James Franco as the visionary scientist who’s one of the folks responsible for turning earth over to a bunch of damn, also dirty apes. Thanks a lot, Franco.

You won’t see Franco’s character here, but you will see plenty o’ apes. Here they are hangin’ out, taking over cities, being super violent. Y’know – ape stuff. Oh, they’ll also be busting into movie theaters on August 5th, 2011. Just don’t tell them to stop talking on their cell phones, or they will beat you to death with them and steal your bananas. I’m assuming you bring bananas to the movies. (/Film)

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/apes-scream-at-your-face-in-rise-concept-art/feed/0Good Looking Monkeys In The ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Trailerhttp://www.screenjunkies.com/video/those-are-good-looking-monkeys-in-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/those-are-good-looking-monkeys-in-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer/#commentsThu, 14 Apr 2011 12:14:21 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Video&p=207046You know what could really ruin your morning commute? Being bludgeoned to death by a pack of hyper-intelligent apes.

]]>You know what could really ruin your morning commute? Being bludgeoned to death by a pack of hyper-intelligent apes. And it looks like that’s exactly what’s going to happen in San Francisco.

The trailer for Rupert Wyatt‘s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes shows a pre-Planet Of The Apes just as the simians figure out how to get out of their cages and force us to live in underground caves. And this is all thanks to James Franco and his science experiments. He couldn’t just leave it well enough alone. Not content with a successful Hollywood/soap opera/writing/art/teaching career, Franco had to delve into neuroscience. And now we’ll all have to live under ape rule. Congratulations, nerd.

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/those-are-good-looking-monkeys-in-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer/feed/2rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes"Oh, great. Apes."The Teaser Of The Trailer Of The ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/the-teaser-of-the-trailer-of-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/the-teaser-of-the-trailer-of-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/#commentsThu, 14 Apr 2011 02:05:57 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Video&p=207017Get ready for of the's to take over the world. Oh, I mean apes. Get ready for apes to do that.

]]>Get ready for of the‘s to take over the world. Oh, I mean apes. Get ready for apes to do that. Apes who can turn doors very slowly.

The video above is Fox‘s official teaser trailer to get you excited for the actual trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which gets released tonight at midnight on Apple‘s site. Hopefully, the trailer will get you excited for the actual movie, and not just for another damn dirty preview. Sometimes, with all the trailers, on-set pics and preview clips for big budget action movies that leak out, I forget there’s a real-life movie going to be released. Maybe in the future, movies will be nothing but a series of trailers and ridiculous hype. So… every movie will be like Grindhouse? I keed, I keed.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes monkeys around in theaters on August 5. James Franco is set to star and be very much awake on camera.

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/the-teaser-of-the-trailer-of-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/feed/0Fox Adds Exciting New Words To ‘Rise Of The Apes’ Titlehttp://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/fox-adds-exciting-new-words-to-rise-of-the-apes-title/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/fox-adds-exciting-new-words-to-rise-of-the-apes-title/#commentsThu, 07 Apr 2011 02:30:53 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=205833Twentieth Century Fox's marketing team knows: the more words you add to a title, the more money you will make. That is science fact.

]]>Twentieth Century Fox‘s marketing department knows: the more words you add to a title, the more money you will make. Long movie titles draw you in to a spiral of words, and the only way to get out is by purchasing a ticket on opening weekend. That is science fact.

So Fox took polls and crunched the numbers in their secret underground “entertainmentories” (entertainment laboratories). They found out that the title Rise of the Apes, for the upcoming James Franco-starring prequel to the Planet of the Apes series, needed more words to make more $$$. After testing a few titles on lab monkeys and humans alike, they decided on:

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Needs more “of the”s. How about The Story of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes? Or The Movie of the Story of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes? Hopefully, they tested those out too, cause I think there’s even more cashola to be made.

The film shows us how the genetic experimentation of apes led to their eventual domination of our puny planet, and will be directed by Rupert Wyatt. (ComicBookMovie)

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/fox-adds-exciting-new-words-to-rise-of-the-apes-title/feed/0planet-of-the-apesRelease Date Set for ‘Rise of the Apes’http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/release-date-set-for-rise-of-the-apes/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/release-date-set-for-rise-of-the-apes/#commentsWed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000Variety reports FOX will release prequel Rise of the Apes on June 24, 2011, with Rupert Wyatt confirmed to direct. In a lie I just made up, he promised me he wouldn't cast Marky Mark or Helena Bonham Carter in any of the roles. Oooo Burton burn. Rise of the Apes is "an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy." When you play God with monkeys you get talking monkeys that can do math and read. Those skills alone make them superior to the average American!Peter Jackson's visual effects company WETA Digital will handle all of the effects on the film. They will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. Hmmmm, interesting (strokes sparse-haired chin). I hope they consider intermixing some practical effects as well. You really can't beat the realism of the apes in Congo.Stop playing God, Dylan Baker!!!

Rise of the Apes is "an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy." When you play God with monkeys you get talking monkeys that can do math and read. Those skills alone make them superior to the average American!

Peter Jackson’s visual effects company WETA Digital will handle all of the effects on the film. They will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. Hmmmm, interesting (strokes sparse-haired chin). I hope they consider intermixing some practical effects as well. You really can’t beat the realism of the apes in Congo.